Greek Yogurt Cheesecake.........What???

Yes, it's absolutely true, you can make a delicious cheesecake using greek yogurt! And it is so simple to make.  You have got to try it and see for yourself just how easy it is to make.  The best part is that using greek yogurt will save you on a few calories which is a bonus this time of year!!


Makes one 9" round springform pan

For the crust:

1 cup crushed graham wafers
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar

pulse everything together in a processor.  transfer to your pan.  press firmly with your fingers to coat the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides.

Filling:

2 cups greek vanilla yogurt  (I used 2%, but Im sure any kind will do)
4 eggs
1TBSP corn starch

Whip everything in a mixer.  (see......I told you it was easy!!)

pour into pan.

Bake at 350' until slightly golden around sides, or sides start to come away from the pan.  about 35 minutes.

Topping:

You can certainly top this cheesecake with canned pie filling, but I made a blueberry topping very easily.

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
2TBSP cornstarch

Heat all together in a small saucepan on medium heat, once it comes to a boil and thickens remove from heat.  Pour onto warm cheesecake and let the cheesecake come to room temperature, then refrigerate.  Best if made a day ahead, but if you can't, refrigerate it for at least 4 hours in advance.


Enjoy!

Apple coffee cake

We had a surplus of apples on our tree this year, and I always love to try something new with them.  This cake is so moist, and the original recipe encourages you to make the cake a day in advance so the flavours in the cake deepen.  It is a fabulous cake, and is definitley a keeper recipe. Enjoy!

Adapded from epicurious



3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled, cored, and thickly sliced apples
1 cup chopped walnuts ( I did not add)
1 cup raisins (I did not add)
Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

preparation
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan. Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.
2. Beat the oil and sugar together in a mixer with a paddle (or in a bowl with a hand mixer) for 5 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy. Stir in the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla, apples, (walnuts, and raisins  if adding them ) and stir until combined.
3. Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out.
4. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Banana Coconut muffins

I always seem to have brown bananas on my counter.  So, of course I make banana cake, loaf, muffins, smoothies etc.  I tried these muffins and since I'm a coconut lover, I thought the combo was stellar!

Enjoy!

Banana Coconut Muffins


2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 very ripe bananas
1 cup oil (I used 1/2 cup coconut oil, and 1/2 cup oil)
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, plus more for sprinkling on top of muffins

Whip bananas, oil, sugar and vanilla on high speed of mixer until smooth and creamy.  Add eggs.  Continue to beat until combined.  In another bowl add all dry ingreedients.  Add to wet ingreedients.  fold gently with a spatula until moistened and combined.  Scoop into muffin lined tins.  Sprinkle with a bit of flaked coconut.  Bake at 350' for 15-20 min.  Makes 24.

Best Ever Rhubarb Crumble

I love cook books.  I have a bit of an addiction really.  No matter where I am I gravitate to cookbooks, and could sit and flip though the pages over and over again.  I found this recipe in an old coil bound book from a thrift store, and it was called " best rhubarb crumble ever".  I am always looking for some good rhubarb recipes and was drawn to this one.  It truly is a wonderful recipe and the crumble top is amazing.  I have used it several times since discovering this special recipe and have substituted any fruit with the rhubarb.  Hope you enjoy it as much as our family does.

Rhubarb Crumble

Butter a 9 x 13 dish

In a large bowl combine:
8 cups rhubarb, or any kind of fruit
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toss to coat all the fruit with flour mixture and then pour it into the prepaired baking dish.

In another bowl combine:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup butter, melted

Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over fruit.  Bake  at 375' for about 35 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temp, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Nicoise Salad

Don't you just love having salads in the summer time?  I love a good salad for lunch with all sorts of fresh goodness from the garden.  This salad, is a great way to use up leftover salmon.  It is a hearty salad, with the potato, salmon and eggs in it but it is a beautiful meal to have on a hot summer evening with an ice cold glass of vino......

Nicoise salad


2 handfuls of green beans, trimmed
10-15 baby new potatoes
1 1/2 cups roasted salmon or tuna, (or canned would be fine)
2 roma tomatoes, cut into wedges or chunks
4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
1 large handful of arugula (optional, but its sooo good!)

Dressing:
in a jar or salad container combine:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar, cider vinegar is fine
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Shake well and keep refrigerated

Boil potatoes until fork tender, drain and put them in a bowl with very cold water or an ice bath.  Do the same with the beans.  Cook the beans only a few minutes and quickly transfer them to an ice bath.  Boil your eggs, peel them and then chill. (These ingredients call all be done the day before you'd like to serve this dish to make less work for you on salad day!)

To serve this salad, assemble every item in rows on a shallow platter, it looks so beautiful when it's done.  Drizzle with all the dressing.

You're going to love this one......

Baked, Not Fried!

The kids go on these kicks.  They ate a cheese string every day in their lunch for months.  They won't touch them anymore.  It happened just after I purchased a costco sized pack of cheese strings, of course.  So I was wondering how to use up the pack, and thought about making mozza sticks.  I love mozza sticks as an appetizer when we go to a restaurant.  So I did some research and found that I just made my own little concoction and they were a hit!

Baked Mozza Sticks With Marinara Sauce

20 Cheese strings
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
2 TBSP corn starch
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil


Get three large shallow bowls.  In one bowl place the eggs.  In another bowl place flour, corn starch and seasoning salt, and in the last bowl place bread crumbs, corn flakes and herbs.

Step 1: roll cheese string in egg, shake off any excess
Step 2: roll cheese string in flour mixture
Step 3: roll cheese string in egg mixture
Step 4: roll cheese string in bread mixture

line each cheese string on a parchment lined baking sheet.

All this rolling will ensure a very crispy cheese string.  At this point you need to freeze the prepaired cheese strings for 2 hours and up to two days.

When you are ready to bake them, preheat your oven to broil.  Place cheese strings on top rack for 4 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn each cheese string.  Place in oven again for 4 more minutes or longer if you want them more crispy. (just be careful not to over bake them or the cheese will begin to ooze out)

Serve warm with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce.

Marinara sauce:

1 TBSP olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup of tomato puree (crushed tomatoes, or diced)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of sugar

In a small pot heat your oil. add chopped garlic and turn in the pan for about 10 seconds.  add tomatoes.  Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, and pinch of sugar.

These were a hit today, and guess who loved the most.......the same kids who refused to eat cheese strings!!

Have a great day,
Lucia

Caramelized Sweet Potato Fries

Who doesn't love fries?  These sweet potato fries are divine.  I try and make them as often as possible, everyone just loves them around here.  They are soft on the inside, crispy and caramelized on the outside, and no need for ketchup.......these fries are delicious on their own.  If you have any leftover, cut them up into bite sized pieces, and toss them into a salad for a nice twist.

Go get yourselves a sweet potato and try them this week, you'll love them!

Enjoy!

L.

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up into fries or bite sized pieces

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP brown sugar

1  TBSP chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400' 

In a large bowl mix everything together, making sure to coat he potatoes with all the gooey goodness. 

Transfer to a cookie sheet and roast  for 25-30 minutes or until you just can't take it anymore and need to try one. Go ahead. 

I made these ones into bite sized pieces but feel free to cut them into long strips. Anything goes!

pineapple, black bean and red pepper salad

If you've never looked through a Costco cook book, you have got to get your hands on one.  Their recipes are absolutely stunning.  This recipe, is such a refreshing, flavorful treat.  The lime, and cilantro combo is always a winner .

For the vinaigrette:

1 lime, juiced
3 TBSP marmalade, apricot, or apple jelly
1 TBSP olive oil

For the Salad:
2 cans black beans, rinsed
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into tidbits
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 red pepper cut up into small bits
1/3 cup red onion finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
**optional** seeded and dices jalapeno pepper

Whisk dressing together in a small jar or bowl.  Add all the salad ingredients into a large container.  Toss with dressing.  Refrigerate for several hours.

This is a perfect summer salad.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Potato chips

Ok, another mandolin recipe for you all, and if you weren't sold on getting a mandolin slicer for my apple chips, you need to get one for these potato chips.
Easy. Low fat. Crunchy.  Healthy!

Russet potatoes ( as many as you need for your crew)
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt

In a large bowl add thinly sliced potatoes. I used a number 2 thickness on mine and they were fabulous. Add enough olive oil to coat them, not too heavy on the oil. Add salt and line them on a parchment lines cookie sheet. Bake at 300' for 15 minutes, turn each chip over and then watch them for the next ten minutes or so. If you like them more crispy and brown leave them in longer.

The result is amazing. They taste like potato chips you buy, but so much better. You would never guess they were a healthy snack!

Enjoy these ones!
Xo
L.

Apple chips

I himmed and hawed about buying a mandolin for years. I've always wanted one, but thought that for the amount of times that I would use it, it was not worth the money. Well, let me tell you, if you get one for these chips alone, it is worth every penny!

These "chips" are more like candy really. You may find other apple chip recipes that don't call for the simple syrup used in this recipe, and you just simply bake the chips. This recipe is a special one....

Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a small saucepan for about ten minutes until you get a light syrup consistency. In the meantime, while the syrup is boiling, wash, core using an apple correr ( you can omit this step if you don't mind the center core being in the chip) then using your brand new mandolin, slice very thinly 8 Granny Smith apples, though I'm sure any kind would be delicious. Add apple slices to the pot of syrup. Add enough so syrup can cover each apple, you may need to do a couple of bathes. Bring to a boil for two minutes. Using tongs, carefully place each apple slice onto a cooling rack placed onto a cookie sheet.

Bake at 300' for about ten minutes. Watch them because they will turn brown quickly thereafter. Once you remove them they will continue to crisp up.

Now go on, grab those apples that have been sitting in your fridge and make some apple chips! You are going to love them!

P.S. don't throw away the syrup when you're done. It has an amazing apple flavor to it. Refrigerate it and add it to a martini!

My new found love........

Coconut oil!

I had heard about coconut oil before, but never thought about using it. A couple of weeks ago, I was at costco and they were selling it for $16.00 for a huge tub. I figured, what the heck, I'll try it. Well, now Im just looking for things to use it in all the time. I'v been using it on my face, skin, hair, for cooking and tonight, I made these beauties. Coconut, oatmeal chocolate drop cookies. NO BAKING REQUIRED!! The kids stirred everything up, we scooped up all the cookies onto a parchment lined sheet, and threw them outside for a few minutes to chill (one good think about living in a cold climate is that you have an extra freezer outside your front door)

These are chewy, chocolatey, and every little but addictive!

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie. They are a favorite of ours and now with the substitution of coconut oil, I guess I can eat a whole whack of them!

In a saucepan combine:
1/2 cup coconut oil ( butter if you don't have the oil)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar

Let it come to a boil, stirring occasionally and allow to boil for 4 minutes.

Add in 1/2 cup cocoa powder and mix well. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and stir in.

In a large bowl add in 3 cups oats ( I used half quick oats and half old fashioned)
1 pkg shredded sweetened coconut ( about 2 cups)

Dump hot cocoa mixture into the bowl and mix very well until everything is coated in chocolate , your mouth is salivating and you can't help but eat a spoonful right out of he bowl!

Line 2 sheets with parchment paper. Using a small scoop or teaspoon drop heaps of the mixture onto the pan. Refrigerate until hardened.

Keep in a Tupperware container in the fridge or freezer.

These are absolutely decadent. Enjoy!

Heavenly ham roast

My husband loves roast ham. I make it often for him, but I try not to get too fancy with ingredients when it comes to ham, because it is just so nice as is, roasted in the oven.  I came across this recipe, and based on the reviews just had to try it.  I don't think I will ever try a different ham recipe again.  This is a keeper!

Old Fashioned Ham
with Brown Sugar & Mustard Glaze
recipe from Bon Appetit, March 2008

1 10-pound smoked ham with rind, preferably shank end
1 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider
1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard ( I used plain dijon)
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place ham in large roasting pan. Pour apple juice over ham. Cover ham completely with parchment paper, then cover ham and roasting pan completely with heavy-duty foil, sealing tightly at edges of pan. Bake ham until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of ham registers 145°F. Remove ham from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.

Remove foil and parchment from ham. Drain and discard liquids from roasting pan. Cut off rind and all but 1/4-inch-thick layer of fat from ham and discard. Using long sharp knife, score fat in 1-inch-wide, 1/4-inch-deep diamond pattern. (I didn't do this since my ham was already spiral sliced.)

Spread mustard evenly over fat layer on ham. Pat brown sugar over mustard coating, pressing firmly to adhere. Drizzle honey evenly over. Bake until ham is well glazed, spooning any mustard and sugar glaze that slides into roasting pan back over ham, about 30 minutes. Transfer ham to serving platter; let cool at least 45 minutes. Slice ham and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Egg nog cookies

Here is an old, old, recipe from from my nonna's collection!    Traditionally they are called lemon twists, lemon knots or in Italian "tarralli".  It is a moist cake like cookie but super simple, makes a whole bunch, and they freeze well.

I had egg nog left over from the holidays that I wanted to use up, so I made an egg nog version of this cookie, and let me tell you......I've been told they were the best cookies I've ever made! So,  I will leave you with both recipies, traditional and my version....egg nog!

Wishing everyone near and far a very blessed and happy New year.

Much love
Lucia
XOOO

Egg nog Cookies

In a large bowl or mixer combine:
1 Cup of sugar

1 3/4 cup of shortening

Whip these two ingreedients together until fluffy.  Then add in:

3 eggs

Slowly add in:


1 cup plus 2 TBSP egg nog (milk in traditional version)
grated zest of an entire lemon (traditional version only)

Then mix in:

5 cups  flour
5 teaspoons of baking powder

The dough should be slightly sticky, add more flour if you think it is goopy sticky though.

Preheat oven to 350 and using an ice cream scoop, place balls of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets.  bake for 12-15 min.  Do not overbake, these cookies are best, in my opinion, just baked with no golden edges, but bake them to your preference.

Once you remove them from the oven, let them cool for just a few minutes and brush on the icing while still slightly warm.


ICING

1/2 cup icing sugar
2 TBSP egg nog
1tsp rum


For the traditional version ICING

juice of one lemon (the one you just zested)
icing sugar
grated lemon peel, otional




These were the best cookies I made all through the holidays, and I made a lot of cookies.....

enjoy!